SCFR Online – Opinion: The withdrawal of American forces from Iraq has marked the end of Washington’s direct military presence in the country; however, America’s financial, political, and security levers can still affect and cause problems for the future of this country.
SCFR Online – Opinion: After months of war and economic pressure, the situation between Iran and the United States has been placed between two conflicting logics; Washington insists on intensifying pressure to gain concessions, and Tehran does not accept negotiations under pressure.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The expansion of artificial intelligence and influence operations has drawn the field of conflict from physical space to the perceptual and algorithmic environment and has turned cognitive deterrence into a strategic necessity.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Riyadh, amid the Iran war, Yemeni pressure, and ambiguous Washington guarantees, has turned to flexible balancing in order to both preserve its security and increase its bargaining power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: London’s decision to provide military support to Saudi Arabia in the Yemen file, beyond a limited aerial mission, could confront Britain with broad legal, security, economic, and strategic consequences.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The acceleration of AI competition has shattered the boundaries of economic, military, intelligence, and cognitive power, turning this technology into a strategic component of national power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The three-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington and his meeting with Donald Trump on September 24 and 25, 2026, accompanied by a ceremonial welcome at Andrews Air Force Base, was more a diplomatic display for managing the level of tensions than an indication of a breakthrough achievement in relations between the two powers.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
Strategic Council Online– Opinion: The fact of the matter is that the United States has a long presence in Afghanistan and the reason for such occupancy is not Afghanistan or Afghans per se but it is related to China, Russia, Iran and other US rivals in the region. It should be noted that Afghanistan enjoys a strategic status in the US foreign policy to contain China; therefore, if we differentiate between these two points, then the issue of the presence of the US in Afghanistan becomes clarified to a great extent.
Pirmohammad Mollazehi-Expert of Asia affairs
Strategic Council Online—Editorial: After years of conflict, violence and bloodshed, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, finally, accepted to sit at the negotiation table instead of killing each other and using military tools and terror to put a stop to the multi-decade wars in Afghanistan through political action and inter-Afghan talks.
Seyyed Mostafa Hashemi—Expert of Afghanistan affairs
Strategic Council Online – A senior analyst at the Watson Institute Brown University says why the US election would not be predictable until the last hours and the 2020 election could be unprecedented in US history. In an interview with the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations website, Charles Freeman also answered questions about the White House’s behind-the-scene goals in activating the trigger mechanism against Iran and the consequences of the normalization of relations between the Arab states and the Zionist regime in regional arrangements.
Strategic Council Online – If Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic rival, wins the presidential elections, we will be witness to a different atmosphere in the arena of international relations and Chinese and Russian arms sales to Iran will be overshadowed by Biden’s return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under such circumstances, Beijing and Moscow will sell conventional and limited arms to Iran more conveniently.
Rahman Qahramanpour – Senior Expert on Geopolitical Affairs
Strategic Council Online – An international affairs analyst said Russia too has come to the conclusion that the US is pursuing a kind of pure international insurgency and is violating all the norms in the world. He said: Russia and Iran well understand each other’s interests under the status quo and both respect interests of each other that will guarantee continuation of cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – The Indian government with a strong sense of distinction, has evaluated the implications of the UAE and Bahrain agreement with Israel on normalization of ties, the launch of inter-Afghan negotiations and Iran-China agreement on its interests, and is trying to reduce the negative impacts of these events on New Delhi.
Mashallah Shakeri – Former Iranian ambassador to Pakistan and expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – An analyst of Asian affairs said that China-India border tensions could have a negative impact on their close economic ties. He added: With regard to the absence of mandatory provisions in the bilateral agreement and deep root of differences in the region, the agreement cannot put a seal of end to the tensions between the two countries and probably the fire of this conflict will flare up again in this region in a short period of time.
Strategic Council Online – Biden believes in the threats that Trump has made to US interests and national security over the past four years, such as threats to Iran, China, North Korea, or the threat posed by terrorism, but believes that the approach to face such threats is multilateral. That is to say, he will try again to revive transatlantic relations, including relations with Europe, whether, within the NATO, the European Union or bilateral relations, and also will advance the issue of Iran and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) within the framework of the same JCPOA mechanism.
Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on American Affairs
Strategic Council Online – Under the present circumstances, the Taliban do not seem to accept power-sharing based on the Ashraf Ghani Government’s offer of 50% of power and some regional and international players at this juncture do not agree with the outlook that Afghanistan should achieve peace and stability; because for the time being, they do not see their interests in peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Pir Mohammad Mollazehi – Expert in Subcontinent Issues
Strategic Council Online – Regional and global conditions are changing; but Riyadh is reluctant to accept the changes and still intends to traditionally hold control over Pakistan. In the meantime, the situation has changed in Pakistan and the country is gradually leaving the Western clique and entering into the Chinese circle.
Abdolreza Farajirad – Expert in Geopolitical Issues
SCFR Online – Opinion: The withdrawal of American forces from Iraq has marked the end of Washington’s direct military presence in the country; however, America’s financial, political, and security levers can still affect and cause problems for the future of this country.
SCFR Online – Opinion: After months of war and economic pressure, the situation between Iran and the United States has been placed between two conflicting logics; Washington insists on intensifying pressure to gain concessions, and Tehran does not accept negotiations under pressure.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The expansion of artificial intelligence and influence operations has drawn the field of conflict from physical space to the perceptual and algorithmic environment and has turned cognitive deterrence into a strategic necessity.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Riyadh, amid the Iran war, Yemeni pressure, and ambiguous Washington guarantees, has turned to flexible balancing in order to both preserve its security and increase its bargaining power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: London’s decision to provide military support to Saudi Arabia in the Yemen file, beyond a limited aerial mission, could confront Britain with broad legal, security, economic, and strategic consequences.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The acceleration of AI competition has shattered the boundaries of economic, military, intelligence, and cognitive power, turning this technology into a strategic component of national power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The three-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington and his meeting with Donald Trump on September 24 and 25, 2026, accompanied by a ceremonial welcome at Andrews Air Force Base, was more a diplomatic display for managing the level of tensions than an indication of a breakthrough achievement in relations between the two powers.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
Strategic Council Online– Opinion: The fact of the matter is that the United States has a long presence in Afghanistan and the reason for such occupancy is not Afghanistan or Afghans per se but it is related to China, Russia, Iran and other US rivals in the region. It should be noted that Afghanistan enjoys a strategic status in the US foreign policy to contain China; therefore, if we differentiate between these two points, then the issue of the presence of the US in Afghanistan becomes clarified to a great extent.
Pirmohammad Mollazehi-Expert of Asia affairs
Strategic Council Online—Editorial: After years of conflict, violence and bloodshed, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, finally, accepted to sit at the negotiation table instead of killing each other and using military tools and terror to put a stop to the multi-decade wars in Afghanistan through political action and inter-Afghan talks.
Seyyed Mostafa Hashemi—Expert of Afghanistan affairs
Strategic Council Online – A senior analyst at the Watson Institute Brown University says why the US election would not be predictable until the last hours and the 2020 election could be unprecedented in US history. In an interview with the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations website, Charles Freeman also answered questions about the White House’s behind-the-scene goals in activating the trigger mechanism against Iran and the consequences of the normalization of relations between the Arab states and the Zionist regime in regional arrangements.
Strategic Council Online – If Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic rival, wins the presidential elections, we will be witness to a different atmosphere in the arena of international relations and Chinese and Russian arms sales to Iran will be overshadowed by Biden’s return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under such circumstances, Beijing and Moscow will sell conventional and limited arms to Iran more conveniently.
Rahman Qahramanpour – Senior Expert on Geopolitical Affairs
Strategic Council Online – An international affairs analyst said Russia too has come to the conclusion that the US is pursuing a kind of pure international insurgency and is violating all the norms in the world. He said: Russia and Iran well understand each other’s interests under the status quo and both respect interests of each other that will guarantee continuation of cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – The Indian government with a strong sense of distinction, has evaluated the implications of the UAE and Bahrain agreement with Israel on normalization of ties, the launch of inter-Afghan negotiations and Iran-China agreement on its interests, and is trying to reduce the negative impacts of these events on New Delhi.
Mashallah Shakeri – Former Iranian ambassador to Pakistan and expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – An analyst of Asian affairs said that China-India border tensions could have a negative impact on their close economic ties. He added: With regard to the absence of mandatory provisions in the bilateral agreement and deep root of differences in the region, the agreement cannot put a seal of end to the tensions between the two countries and probably the fire of this conflict will flare up again in this region in a short period of time.
Strategic Council Online – Biden believes in the threats that Trump has made to US interests and national security over the past four years, such as threats to Iran, China, North Korea, or the threat posed by terrorism, but believes that the approach to face such threats is multilateral. That is to say, he will try again to revive transatlantic relations, including relations with Europe, whether, within the NATO, the European Union or bilateral relations, and also will advance the issue of Iran and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) within the framework of the same JCPOA mechanism.
Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on American Affairs
Strategic Council Online – Under the present circumstances, the Taliban do not seem to accept power-sharing based on the Ashraf Ghani Government’s offer of 50% of power and some regional and international players at this juncture do not agree with the outlook that Afghanistan should achieve peace and stability; because for the time being, they do not see their interests in peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Pir Mohammad Mollazehi – Expert in Subcontinent Issues
Strategic Council Online – Regional and global conditions are changing; but Riyadh is reluctant to accept the changes and still intends to traditionally hold control over Pakistan. In the meantime, the situation has changed in Pakistan and the country is gradually leaving the Western clique and entering into the Chinese circle.
Abdolreza Farajirad – Expert in Geopolitical Issues
Strategic Council Online– Opinion: The fact of the matter is that the United States has a long presence in Afghanistan and the reason for such occupancy is not Afghanistan or Afghans per se but it is related to China, Russia, Iran and other US rivals in the region. It should be noted that Afghanistan enjoys a strategic status in the US foreign policy to contain China; therefore, if we differentiate between these two points, then the issue of the presence of the US in Afghanistan becomes clarified to a great extent.
Pirmohammad Mollazehi-Expert of Asia affairs
Strategic Council Online—Editorial: After years of conflict, violence and bloodshed, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, finally, accepted to sit at the negotiation table instead of killing each other and using military tools and terror to put a stop to the multi-decade wars in Afghanistan through political action and inter-Afghan talks.
Seyyed Mostafa Hashemi—Expert of Afghanistan affairs
Strategic Council Online – A senior analyst at the Watson Institute Brown University says why the US election would not be predictable until the last hours and the 2020 election could be unprecedented in US history. In an interview with the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations website, Charles Freeman also answered questions about the White House’s behind-the-scene goals in activating the trigger mechanism against Iran and the consequences of the normalization of relations between the Arab states and the Zionist regime in regional arrangements.
Strategic Council Online – If Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic rival, wins the presidential elections, we will be witness to a different atmosphere in the arena of international relations and Chinese and Russian arms sales to Iran will be overshadowed by Biden’s return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under such circumstances, Beijing and Moscow will sell conventional and limited arms to Iran more conveniently.
Rahman Qahramanpour – Senior Expert on Geopolitical Affairs
Strategic Council Online – An international affairs analyst said Russia too has come to the conclusion that the US is pursuing a kind of pure international insurgency and is violating all the norms in the world. He said: Russia and Iran well understand each other’s interests under the status quo and both respect interests of each other that will guarantee continuation of cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – The Indian government with a strong sense of distinction, has evaluated the implications of the UAE and Bahrain agreement with Israel on normalization of ties, the launch of inter-Afghan negotiations and Iran-China agreement on its interests, and is trying to reduce the negative impacts of these events on New Delhi.
Mashallah Shakeri – Former Iranian ambassador to Pakistan and expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – An analyst of Asian affairs said that China-India border tensions could have a negative impact on their close economic ties. He added: With regard to the absence of mandatory provisions in the bilateral agreement and deep root of differences in the region, the agreement cannot put a seal of end to the tensions between the two countries and probably the fire of this conflict will flare up again in this region in a short period of time.
Strategic Council Online – Biden believes in the threats that Trump has made to US interests and national security over the past four years, such as threats to Iran, China, North Korea, or the threat posed by terrorism, but believes that the approach to face such threats is multilateral. That is to say, he will try again to revive transatlantic relations, including relations with Europe, whether, within the NATO, the European Union or bilateral relations, and also will advance the issue of Iran and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) within the framework of the same JCPOA mechanism.
Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on American Affairs
Strategic Council Online – Under the present circumstances, the Taliban do not seem to accept power-sharing based on the Ashraf Ghani Government’s offer of 50% of power and some regional and international players at this juncture do not agree with the outlook that Afghanistan should achieve peace and stability; because for the time being, they do not see their interests in peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Pir Mohammad Mollazehi – Expert in Subcontinent Issues
Strategic Council Online – Regional and global conditions are changing; but Riyadh is reluctant to accept the changes and still intends to traditionally hold control over Pakistan. In the meantime, the situation has changed in Pakistan and the country is gradually leaving the Western clique and entering into the Chinese circle.
Abdolreza Farajirad – Expert in Geopolitical Issues
SCFR Online – Opinion: The withdrawal of American forces from Iraq has marked the end of Washington’s direct military presence in the country; however, America’s financial, political, and security levers can still affect and cause problems for the future of this country.
SCFR Online – Opinion: After months of war and economic pressure, the situation between Iran and the United States has been placed between two conflicting logics; Washington insists on intensifying pressure to gain concessions, and Tehran does not accept negotiations under pressure.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The expansion of artificial intelligence and influence operations has drawn the field of conflict from physical space to the perceptual and algorithmic environment and has turned cognitive deterrence into a strategic necessity.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Riyadh, amid the Iran war, Yemeni pressure, and ambiguous Washington guarantees, has turned to flexible balancing in order to both preserve its security and increase its bargaining power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: London’s decision to provide military support to Saudi Arabia in the Yemen file, beyond a limited aerial mission, could confront Britain with broad legal, security, economic, and strategic consequences.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The acceleration of AI competition has shattered the boundaries of economic, military, intelligence, and cognitive power, turning this technology into a strategic component of national power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The three-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington and his meeting with Donald Trump on September 24 and 25, 2026, accompanied by a ceremonial welcome at Andrews Air Force Base, was more a diplomatic display for managing the level of tensions than an indication of a breakthrough achievement in relations between the two powers.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
Strategic Council Online– Opinion: The fact of the matter is that the United States has a long presence in Afghanistan and the reason for such occupancy is not Afghanistan or Afghans per se but it is related to China, Russia, Iran and other US rivals in the region. It should be noted that Afghanistan enjoys a strategic status in the US foreign policy to contain China; therefore, if we differentiate between these two points, then the issue of the presence of the US in Afghanistan becomes clarified to a great extent.
Pirmohammad Mollazehi-Expert of Asia affairs
Strategic Council Online—Editorial: After years of conflict, violence and bloodshed, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, finally, accepted to sit at the negotiation table instead of killing each other and using military tools and terror to put a stop to the multi-decade wars in Afghanistan through political action and inter-Afghan talks.
Seyyed Mostafa Hashemi—Expert of Afghanistan affairs
Strategic Council Online – A senior analyst at the Watson Institute Brown University says why the US election would not be predictable until the last hours and the 2020 election could be unprecedented in US history. In an interview with the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations website, Charles Freeman also answered questions about the White House’s behind-the-scene goals in activating the trigger mechanism against Iran and the consequences of the normalization of relations between the Arab states and the Zionist regime in regional arrangements.
Strategic Council Online – If Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic rival, wins the presidential elections, we will be witness to a different atmosphere in the arena of international relations and Chinese and Russian arms sales to Iran will be overshadowed by Biden’s return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under such circumstances, Beijing and Moscow will sell conventional and limited arms to Iran more conveniently.
Rahman Qahramanpour – Senior Expert on Geopolitical Affairs
Strategic Council Online – An international affairs analyst said Russia too has come to the conclusion that the US is pursuing a kind of pure international insurgency and is violating all the norms in the world. He said: Russia and Iran well understand each other’s interests under the status quo and both respect interests of each other that will guarantee continuation of cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – The Indian government with a strong sense of distinction, has evaluated the implications of the UAE and Bahrain agreement with Israel on normalization of ties, the launch of inter-Afghan negotiations and Iran-China agreement on its interests, and is trying to reduce the negative impacts of these events on New Delhi.
Mashallah Shakeri – Former Iranian ambassador to Pakistan and expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – An analyst of Asian affairs said that China-India border tensions could have a negative impact on their close economic ties. He added: With regard to the absence of mandatory provisions in the bilateral agreement and deep root of differences in the region, the agreement cannot put a seal of end to the tensions between the two countries and probably the fire of this conflict will flare up again in this region in a short period of time.
Strategic Council Online – Biden believes in the threats that Trump has made to US interests and national security over the past four years, such as threats to Iran, China, North Korea, or the threat posed by terrorism, but believes that the approach to face such threats is multilateral. That is to say, he will try again to revive transatlantic relations, including relations with Europe, whether, within the NATO, the European Union or bilateral relations, and also will advance the issue of Iran and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) within the framework of the same JCPOA mechanism.
Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on American Affairs
Strategic Council Online – Under the present circumstances, the Taliban do not seem to accept power-sharing based on the Ashraf Ghani Government’s offer of 50% of power and some regional and international players at this juncture do not agree with the outlook that Afghanistan should achieve peace and stability; because for the time being, they do not see their interests in peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Pir Mohammad Mollazehi – Expert in Subcontinent Issues
Strategic Council Online – Regional and global conditions are changing; but Riyadh is reluctant to accept the changes and still intends to traditionally hold control over Pakistan. In the meantime, the situation has changed in Pakistan and the country is gradually leaving the Western clique and entering into the Chinese circle.
Abdolreza Farajirad – Expert in Geopolitical Issues
SCFR Online – Opinion: The withdrawal of American forces from Iraq has marked the end of Washington’s direct military presence in the country; however, America’s financial, political, and security levers can still affect and cause problems for the future of this country.
SCFR Online – Opinion: After months of war and economic pressure, the situation between Iran and the United States has been placed between two conflicting logics; Washington insists on intensifying pressure to gain concessions, and Tehran does not accept negotiations under pressure.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The expansion of artificial intelligence and influence operations has drawn the field of conflict from physical space to the perceptual and algorithmic environment and has turned cognitive deterrence into a strategic necessity.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Riyadh, amid the Iran war, Yemeni pressure, and ambiguous Washington guarantees, has turned to flexible balancing in order to both preserve its security and increase its bargaining power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: London’s decision to provide military support to Saudi Arabia in the Yemen file, beyond a limited aerial mission, could confront Britain with broad legal, security, economic, and strategic consequences.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The acceleration of AI competition has shattered the boundaries of economic, military, intelligence, and cognitive power, turning this technology into a strategic component of national power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The three-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington and his meeting with Donald Trump on September 24 and 25, 2026, accompanied by a ceremonial welcome at Andrews Air Force Base, was more a diplomatic display for managing the level of tensions than an indication of a breakthrough achievement in relations between the two powers.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
Strategic Council Online– Opinion: The fact of the matter is that the United States has a long presence in Afghanistan and the reason for such occupancy is not Afghanistan or Afghans per se but it is related to China, Russia, Iran and other US rivals in the region. It should be noted that Afghanistan enjoys a strategic status in the US foreign policy to contain China; therefore, if we differentiate between these two points, then the issue of the presence of the US in Afghanistan becomes clarified to a great extent.
Pirmohammad Mollazehi-Expert of Asia affairs
Strategic Council Online—Editorial: After years of conflict, violence and bloodshed, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, finally, accepted to sit at the negotiation table instead of killing each other and using military tools and terror to put a stop to the multi-decade wars in Afghanistan through political action and inter-Afghan talks.
Seyyed Mostafa Hashemi—Expert of Afghanistan affairs
Strategic Council Online – A senior analyst at the Watson Institute Brown University says why the US election would not be predictable until the last hours and the 2020 election could be unprecedented in US history. In an interview with the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations website, Charles Freeman also answered questions about the White House’s behind-the-scene goals in activating the trigger mechanism against Iran and the consequences of the normalization of relations between the Arab states and the Zionist regime in regional arrangements.
Strategic Council Online – If Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic rival, wins the presidential elections, we will be witness to a different atmosphere in the arena of international relations and Chinese and Russian arms sales to Iran will be overshadowed by Biden’s return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under such circumstances, Beijing and Moscow will sell conventional and limited arms to Iran more conveniently.
Rahman Qahramanpour – Senior Expert on Geopolitical Affairs
Strategic Council Online – An international affairs analyst said Russia too has come to the conclusion that the US is pursuing a kind of pure international insurgency and is violating all the norms in the world. He said: Russia and Iran well understand each other’s interests under the status quo and both respect interests of each other that will guarantee continuation of cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – The Indian government with a strong sense of distinction, has evaluated the implications of the UAE and Bahrain agreement with Israel on normalization of ties, the launch of inter-Afghan negotiations and Iran-China agreement on its interests, and is trying to reduce the negative impacts of these events on New Delhi.
Mashallah Shakeri – Former Iranian ambassador to Pakistan and expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – An analyst of Asian affairs said that China-India border tensions could have a negative impact on their close economic ties. He added: With regard to the absence of mandatory provisions in the bilateral agreement and deep root of differences in the region, the agreement cannot put a seal of end to the tensions between the two countries and probably the fire of this conflict will flare up again in this region in a short period of time.
Strategic Council Online – Biden believes in the threats that Trump has made to US interests and national security over the past four years, such as threats to Iran, China, North Korea, or the threat posed by terrorism, but believes that the approach to face such threats is multilateral. That is to say, he will try again to revive transatlantic relations, including relations with Europe, whether, within the NATO, the European Union or bilateral relations, and also will advance the issue of Iran and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) within the framework of the same JCPOA mechanism.
Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on American Affairs
Strategic Council Online – Under the present circumstances, the Taliban do not seem to accept power-sharing based on the Ashraf Ghani Government’s offer of 50% of power and some regional and international players at this juncture do not agree with the outlook that Afghanistan should achieve peace and stability; because for the time being, they do not see their interests in peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Pir Mohammad Mollazehi – Expert in Subcontinent Issues
Strategic Council Online – Regional and global conditions are changing; but Riyadh is reluctant to accept the changes and still intends to traditionally hold control over Pakistan. In the meantime, the situation has changed in Pakistan and the country is gradually leaving the Western clique and entering into the Chinese circle.
Abdolreza Farajirad – Expert in Geopolitical Issues
SCFR Online – Opinion: The withdrawal of American forces from Iraq has marked the end of Washington’s direct military presence in the country; however, America’s financial, political, and security levers can still affect and cause problems for the future of this country.
SCFR Online – Opinion: After months of war and economic pressure, the situation between Iran and the United States has been placed between two conflicting logics; Washington insists on intensifying pressure to gain concessions, and Tehran does not accept negotiations under pressure.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The expansion of artificial intelligence and influence operations has drawn the field of conflict from physical space to the perceptual and algorithmic environment and has turned cognitive deterrence into a strategic necessity.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Riyadh, amid the Iran war, Yemeni pressure, and ambiguous Washington guarantees, has turned to flexible balancing in order to both preserve its security and increase its bargaining power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: London’s decision to provide military support to Saudi Arabia in the Yemen file, beyond a limited aerial mission, could confront Britain with broad legal, security, economic, and strategic consequences.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The acceleration of AI competition has shattered the boundaries of economic, military, intelligence, and cognitive power, turning this technology into a strategic component of national power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The three-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington and his meeting with Donald Trump on September 24 and 25, 2026, accompanied by a ceremonial welcome at Andrews Air Force Base, was more a diplomatic display for managing the level of tensions than an indication of a breakthrough achievement in relations between the two powers.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
Strategic Council Online– Opinion: The fact of the matter is that the United States has a long presence in Afghanistan and the reason for such occupancy is not Afghanistan or Afghans per se but it is related to China, Russia, Iran and other US rivals in the region. It should be noted that Afghanistan enjoys a strategic status in the US foreign policy to contain China; therefore, if we differentiate between these two points, then the issue of the presence of the US in Afghanistan becomes clarified to a great extent.
Pirmohammad Mollazehi-Expert of Asia affairs
Strategic Council Online—Editorial: After years of conflict, violence and bloodshed, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, finally, accepted to sit at the negotiation table instead of killing each other and using military tools and terror to put a stop to the multi-decade wars in Afghanistan through political action and inter-Afghan talks.
Seyyed Mostafa Hashemi—Expert of Afghanistan affairs
Strategic Council Online – A senior analyst at the Watson Institute Brown University says why the US election would not be predictable until the last hours and the 2020 election could be unprecedented in US history. In an interview with the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations website, Charles Freeman also answered questions about the White House’s behind-the-scene goals in activating the trigger mechanism against Iran and the consequences of the normalization of relations between the Arab states and the Zionist regime in regional arrangements.
Strategic Council Online – If Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic rival, wins the presidential elections, we will be witness to a different atmosphere in the arena of international relations and Chinese and Russian arms sales to Iran will be overshadowed by Biden’s return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under such circumstances, Beijing and Moscow will sell conventional and limited arms to Iran more conveniently.
Rahman Qahramanpour – Senior Expert on Geopolitical Affairs
Strategic Council Online – An international affairs analyst said Russia too has come to the conclusion that the US is pursuing a kind of pure international insurgency and is violating all the norms in the world. He said: Russia and Iran well understand each other’s interests under the status quo and both respect interests of each other that will guarantee continuation of cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – The Indian government with a strong sense of distinction, has evaluated the implications of the UAE and Bahrain agreement with Israel on normalization of ties, the launch of inter-Afghan negotiations and Iran-China agreement on its interests, and is trying to reduce the negative impacts of these events on New Delhi.
Mashallah Shakeri – Former Iranian ambassador to Pakistan and expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – An analyst of Asian affairs said that China-India border tensions could have a negative impact on their close economic ties. He added: With regard to the absence of mandatory provisions in the bilateral agreement and deep root of differences in the region, the agreement cannot put a seal of end to the tensions between the two countries and probably the fire of this conflict will flare up again in this region in a short period of time.
Strategic Council Online – Biden believes in the threats that Trump has made to US interests and national security over the past four years, such as threats to Iran, China, North Korea, or the threat posed by terrorism, but believes that the approach to face such threats is multilateral. That is to say, he will try again to revive transatlantic relations, including relations with Europe, whether, within the NATO, the European Union or bilateral relations, and also will advance the issue of Iran and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) within the framework of the same JCPOA mechanism.
Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on American Affairs
Strategic Council Online – Under the present circumstances, the Taliban do not seem to accept power-sharing based on the Ashraf Ghani Government’s offer of 50% of power and some regional and international players at this juncture do not agree with the outlook that Afghanistan should achieve peace and stability; because for the time being, they do not see their interests in peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Pir Mohammad Mollazehi – Expert in Subcontinent Issues
Strategic Council Online – Regional and global conditions are changing; but Riyadh is reluctant to accept the changes and still intends to traditionally hold control over Pakistan. In the meantime, the situation has changed in Pakistan and the country is gradually leaving the Western clique and entering into the Chinese circle.
Abdolreza Farajirad – Expert in Geopolitical Issues
SCFR Online – Opinion: The withdrawal of American forces from Iraq has marked the end of Washington’s direct military presence in the country; however, America’s financial, political, and security levers can still affect and cause problems for the future of this country.
SCFR Online – Opinion: After months of war and economic pressure, the situation between Iran and the United States has been placed between two conflicting logics; Washington insists on intensifying pressure to gain concessions, and Tehran does not accept negotiations under pressure.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The expansion of artificial intelligence and influence operations has drawn the field of conflict from physical space to the perceptual and algorithmic environment and has turned cognitive deterrence into a strategic necessity.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Riyadh, amid the Iran war, Yemeni pressure, and ambiguous Washington guarantees, has turned to flexible balancing in order to both preserve its security and increase its bargaining power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: London’s decision to provide military support to Saudi Arabia in the Yemen file, beyond a limited aerial mission, could confront Britain with broad legal, security, economic, and strategic consequences.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The acceleration of AI competition has shattered the boundaries of economic, military, intelligence, and cognitive power, turning this technology into a strategic component of national power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The three-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington and his meeting with Donald Trump on September 24 and 25, 2026, accompanied by a ceremonial welcome at Andrews Air Force Base, was more a diplomatic display for managing the level of tensions than an indication of a breakthrough achievement in relations between the two powers.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
Strategic Council Online– Opinion: The fact of the matter is that the United States has a long presence in Afghanistan and the reason for such occupancy is not Afghanistan or Afghans per se but it is related to China, Russia, Iran and other US rivals in the region. It should be noted that Afghanistan enjoys a strategic status in the US foreign policy to contain China; therefore, if we differentiate between these two points, then the issue of the presence of the US in Afghanistan becomes clarified to a great extent.
Pirmohammad Mollazehi-Expert of Asia affairs
Strategic Council Online—Editorial: After years of conflict, violence and bloodshed, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, finally, accepted to sit at the negotiation table instead of killing each other and using military tools and terror to put a stop to the multi-decade wars in Afghanistan through political action and inter-Afghan talks.
Seyyed Mostafa Hashemi—Expert of Afghanistan affairs
Strategic Council Online – A senior analyst at the Watson Institute Brown University says why the US election would not be predictable until the last hours and the 2020 election could be unprecedented in US history. In an interview with the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations website, Charles Freeman also answered questions about the White House’s behind-the-scene goals in activating the trigger mechanism against Iran and the consequences of the normalization of relations between the Arab states and the Zionist regime in regional arrangements.
Strategic Council Online – If Joe Biden, Trump’s Democratic rival, wins the presidential elections, we will be witness to a different atmosphere in the arena of international relations and Chinese and Russian arms sales to Iran will be overshadowed by Biden’s return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under such circumstances, Beijing and Moscow will sell conventional and limited arms to Iran more conveniently.
Rahman Qahramanpour – Senior Expert on Geopolitical Affairs
Strategic Council Online – An international affairs analyst said Russia too has come to the conclusion that the US is pursuing a kind of pure international insurgency and is violating all the norms in the world. He said: Russia and Iran well understand each other’s interests under the status quo and both respect interests of each other that will guarantee continuation of cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – The Indian government with a strong sense of distinction, has evaluated the implications of the UAE and Bahrain agreement with Israel on normalization of ties, the launch of inter-Afghan negotiations and Iran-China agreement on its interests, and is trying to reduce the negative impacts of these events on New Delhi.
Mashallah Shakeri – Former Iranian ambassador to Pakistan and expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – An analyst of Asian affairs said that China-India border tensions could have a negative impact on their close economic ties. He added: With regard to the absence of mandatory provisions in the bilateral agreement and deep root of differences in the region, the agreement cannot put a seal of end to the tensions between the two countries and probably the fire of this conflict will flare up again in this region in a short period of time.
Strategic Council Online – Biden believes in the threats that Trump has made to US interests and national security over the past four years, such as threats to Iran, China, North Korea, or the threat posed by terrorism, but believes that the approach to face such threats is multilateral. That is to say, he will try again to revive transatlantic relations, including relations with Europe, whether, within the NATO, the European Union or bilateral relations, and also will advance the issue of Iran and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) within the framework of the same JCPOA mechanism.
Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on American Affairs
Strategic Council Online – Under the present circumstances, the Taliban do not seem to accept power-sharing based on the Ashraf Ghani Government’s offer of 50% of power and some regional and international players at this juncture do not agree with the outlook that Afghanistan should achieve peace and stability; because for the time being, they do not see their interests in peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Pir Mohammad Mollazehi – Expert in Subcontinent Issues
Strategic Council Online – Regional and global conditions are changing; but Riyadh is reluctant to accept the changes and still intends to traditionally hold control over Pakistan. In the meantime, the situation has changed in Pakistan and the country is gradually leaving the Western clique and entering into the Chinese circle.
Abdolreza Farajirad – Expert in Geopolitical Issues
SCFR Online – Opinion: The withdrawal of American forces from Iraq has marked the end of Washington’s direct military presence in the country; however, America’s financial, political, and security levers can still affect and cause problems for the future of this country.
SCFR Online – Opinion: After months of war and economic pressure, the situation between Iran and the United States has been placed between two conflicting logics; Washington insists on intensifying pressure to gain concessions, and Tehran does not accept negotiations under pressure.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The expansion of artificial intelligence and influence operations has drawn the field of conflict from physical space to the perceptual and algorithmic environment and has turned cognitive deterrence into a strategic necessity.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Riyadh, amid the Iran war, Yemeni pressure, and ambiguous Washington guarantees, has turned to flexible balancing in order to both preserve its security and increase its bargaining power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: London’s decision to provide military support to Saudi Arabia in the Yemen file, beyond a limited aerial mission, could confront Britain with broad legal, security, economic, and strategic consequences.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The acceleration of AI competition has shattered the boundaries of economic, military, intelligence, and cognitive power, turning this technology into a strategic component of national power.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The three-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington and his meeting with Donald Trump on September 24 and 25, 2026, accompanied by a ceremonial welcome at Andrews Air Force Base, was more a diplomatic display for managing the level of tensions than an indication of a breakthrough achievement in relations between the two powers.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.